I've been accused of
taking rock & roll a tad too seriously. You see, I'm one of those
people who have lost countless hours of sleep wondering why it all
went so wrong. How could an enterprise that once boasted revenues
twice that of the colossal motion picture industry be so disposable
in our 21st century culture? Today's 99¢
download is often tomorrow's forgotten impulse
purchase. And the reason is simple - there's very little coming out
of the rock world worthy of a second listen. I'm looking for Janis
Joplin and all they can give me is Miley Cyrus?!
Of course the one glimmer
of hope for rock's future fate is placed squarely upon the local
scene, safely removed from the cynical reach of corporate greed and
focus groups. And it's right here in Providence where band's like The
Silks are emerging to steady the course and reinstate dominance.
Clearly, this blues driven rock & roll trio and I seem to be on
the same wavelength, as their band bio proclaims “Rock and Roll
may not be dead, but it does seem like there’s a priest leaning
over its bed... if The Silks have anything to do with it, the body
will soon be out of bed, bopping around the room.” I could not
agree more.
Led by singer-guitarist
Tyler-James Kelly and the rhythm section of Jonas Parmelee on bass
and Matthew Donnely on drums, the band has sprung onto the scene with
their debut release “Last American Band”. Far from the usual
collection of over-covered blues standards and fumbling
self-indulgence solos, often associated with a band's first effort,
The Silks present eleven highly polished tracks that belie their
freshman status.
Clearly these guys have
rock & blues in their DNA, as evidenced by the opening
slide-guitar salvo on the disc's first song “Livin' In The World
Today”. Kelly seems to channel Elmore James for an effortless run
of slide work which remains tasteful throughout, and never showy. In
an earnest vocal that derives its power from Paul Rogers and its
snarl from Eddie Vedder, Kelly proclaims “I'm so tired of living in the world today.... I'm so tired of living in the world this way"
In contrast to the hard
driving numbers, The Silks reach down deep for the acoustic
folk-blues dirge “Try All You Want”. In a style reminiscent of an
Exile-era Rolling Stones, Tyler and company incorporate harmonica and
soulful background vocals in this dark, gritty, back-alley singalong.
Any A&R man worth his
weight in gold records would pull “Mountain Man” as the strongest
contender for a single. It is three-minutes and twenty plus seconds
of pure chart-topping, hit record material (if it was 1976 of
course). No matter what the year, the song's catchy musical hooks and
infectious refrain leaves an indelible impression to any listen
within earshot. “I gotta get away from the man, I know you won't
understand, I guess that's why they call me The Mountain Man...”
Bob Seger could resurrect his career if he ever managed to pull out a
song as good as this one.
These few examples serve
only to highlight what The Silks have accomplished on “Last
American Band”. They perform with a sense of urgency and write with
the kind of authenticity bands twice their age have long since
abandoned. The Silks might just be that perfect dose of strong
medicine needed to get rock up off its deathbed, by getting rock fans
back into the stores and clubs for a much-needed fix of good NEW
fashioned rock & roll.
